Erst, Climat, The Alan - all have captured the attention and praise of The Observer’s Jay Rayner and now, another Manchester hotspot has made the list as one of the esteemed writer’s top city centre food spots.
The culinary critic said there’s ‘an awful lot to be stimulated by’ in the ‘tall, narrow building’ that is 10 Tib Lane - a cocktail bar and restaurant just off Princess Street.
He, along with five other diners, visited the eatery which boasts ‘eclectic small plates and a knowingly idiosyncratic drinks list’, and left feeling rather impressed by a number of the dishes - not a single one of which ‘breaks £20’.
“We should put this one alongside places like Erst in Ancoats, the recently reviewed Climat, the soon to open Higher Ground, the Alan and Another Hand,” he wrote in today's Observer. “Somewhere along the way Manchester was culinarily twinned with Hackney.”
Cured egg yolk, charred hispi cabbage and sourdough toast hint to modern trends, but Rayner said ‘there’s also a wonderful old-school sensibility at work’ at 10 Tib Lane, with a menu ‘built around huge sweet and sour flavours’.
“Sweetbreads are breaded and deep-fried, like chicken nuggets for grownups,” he said, “but come on a thick, emulsified grain mustard sauce full of seeds that pop pleasingly against the top of your mouth.”
The food enthusiast also enjoyed a ‘blackened slab of cabbage’ with slowly roasted shallots, and a ‘big old pork chop’, the handle of which described as ‘eminently nibbleable’.
Rayner left a glowing comment on an ‘impeccably made smoked trout mousse, but it seemed to be the boned plaice meunière, with caper butter and ‘nutty’ brown shrimps that won him over, the journalist commenting on it’s ‘all-round coastal loveliness’.
For dessert, Jay forwent the the cheeses, opting instead for ‘a deep-filled, shuddering caramel tart’ and a rectangle of deep-fried bread and butter pudding. “Crusted with sugar, its centre warm and custardy, with a scoop of brandy cream on the side. Do you want some of that? Well of course you do,” he concluded.
Rayner has been reviewing restaurants for some 24 years, and sitting down for lunch with the Manchester Evening News this week, he remained one of the city's most prominent advocates. "Manchester’s developed apace and one of the reasons I’ve seen in action is an interesting approach to urban development," he explains.
“Somebody comes along and decides a block is right for redevelopment or for apartments and offices, but at a ground level they need a restaurant because that makes it an attraction - and Manchester is very good at that.”
The critic has also taken a liking to a number of other city centre spots, including Albert Schloss, Pho Cue, Peace Garden and Another Heart To Feed.
And when he’s not putting pen to paper following an evening of dining, Jay’s other love is that of music - and he’s bringing his band to Manchester’s Albert Hall later this month. Jazz Up The '80s with The Jay Rayner Sextet will be performed on Thursday, March 16.
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